Performance Details
Department of Public Safety - Criminal Justice Information Systems Program
Mission
Provide and maintain centralized criminal record and identification information.
Core Services
- Ensure arrest/charge information is received by the repository within five working days.
- Ensure sex offenders known to the Department of Public Safety have provided required information.
- Reduce the instances of missing disposition information for criminal cases over two years old.
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Performance Detail
A: Result - Criminal history records are complete, accurate, and timely. |
A1: Core Service - Ensure arrest/charge information is received by the repository within five working days. |
Target #1: 100% of arrest/charge information is received by the repository within five working days
% of Arrest/Charge Information Received by Criminal Records and Identification via Fingerprint Card Submission within 5 Working Days
Analysis of results and challenges: The records and identification bureau monitors and audits the quality and timeliness of fingerprints and demographic data submitted by booking agencies, and provides instruction to those requiring additional training on the proper completion of arrest fingerprint cards. With the successful implementation of the fingerprint technician training program, the two recent graduates of the program were able to provide onsite training to several criminal justice agencies throughout the state on using LiveScan devices, fingerprinting techniques, and the importance of obtaining fingerprints each time a person is arrested on new charges in FY2019 and FY2020, until the COVID-19 pandemic caused the onsite training to be temporarily suspended. Additionally, having a fully staffed team of fingerprint technicians allows for more timely processing of fingerprint card submissions. One of the challenges for DPS has been the end of life of the existing criminal history audit application in FY2019. Audits had been conducted annually on the records submitted to and entered into the criminal history repository to verify timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of records by partner agencies including state and local law enforcement, state and municipal prosecutors, the Courts, and the Department of Corrections. A new audit application has been developed by DPS programmers and acceptance testing of the new application has recently been completed. The new application is now in production and audits will resume some time in FY2021, dependent on the COVID-19 pandemic. |
B: Result - Information regarding statewide sex offenders is available to law enforcement and the public. |
B1: Core Service - Ensure sex offenders known to the Department of Public Safety have provided required information. |
Target #1: 100% of sex offenders known to the department submit required documentation on quarterly or annual basis per AS 12.63 (Registration of Sex Offenders)
Percentage of Sex Offenders in Compliance
Analysis of results and challenges: On July 25, 2008, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the requirement to register as a sex offender for people who committed sex crimes prior to the enactment of the sex offender registration law violated Alaska's constitution. The number of offenders required to register under AS 12.63 decreased significantly in consequence. Since the court's ruling, each offender's registration requirement has been re-evaluated. In 2018, an Alaska Supreme Court ruling changed how out of state sex offenses were reviewed in determining registration requirements in Alaska. As a result of this ruling, 37 offenders have been removed from the registry in FY2019 as their offenses were determined by the Department of Law to not be similar to an Alaska offense requiring registration. The Supreme Court ruling requires nearly all new offenders with out of state convictions be reviewed to determine if registration is required in Alaska. The department works in coordination with local law enforcement agencies and the US Marshal's Office to attempt contact with sex offenders who are out of compliance. This contact has resulted in a higher compliance rate. Collaborative efforts between the Marshal's Office, the Department of Public Safety, and local law enforcement statewide to locate and contact all known sex offenders in the state and check their compliance have had a positive impact on the safety of Alaskans. A 2019 Alaska Supreme Court ruling requires the registry to implement a relief from registration process to allow registered sex offenders to appeal their registration requirements upon demonstration that they are no longer a threat to public safety or the community. This decision will have an impact on the Sex Offender Registration Office processes, but the full impact is unknown at this time as the appeal process for the relief from registration has not been determined or implemented. The Department of Public Safety is working in close coordination with the Department of Law to determine how best to establish this appeal process, which may require legislative intervention. |
C: Result - State and national criminal justice information is available to state and private entities for use in determining employment or licensing eligibility. |
Target #1: State and national criminal justice information is released to authorized entities within 10 working days of receipt of the request
Average Number of Days to Disseminate Criminal History Information by Criminal Records and Identification
Analysis of results and challenges: FY2017, turnaround time was severely impacted by staffing shortages in both the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) Section and the Records Section. Staffing resources in the Records Section were readjusted in the latter part of FY2017, and a restructuring of the ABIS Section occurred in FY2018. In FY2019, the ABIS training program had their 'graduate' with a second one set to graduate in early FY2020. In FY2021, the ABIS system will be upgraded and this coupled with the staffing stability is anticipated to further reduce processing times. However, the entire fingerprinting process relies on several outdated programming components and processes which will continue to have a negative impact until each can be replaced or updated. The DPS fingerprinting process is comprised of some key components based on significantly outdated technology platforms that have been a challenge for limited programming staff to resolve and continue to support. Federal grant funding has been awarded to in FY2020 to begin work to replace the criminal history repository, a crucial first step to restructuring the fingerprinting process and eventually replacing outdated components. Related links:
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C1: Core Service - Reduce the instances of missing disposition information for criminal cases over two years old. |
Target #1: 100% of missing dispositions for criminal cases over two years old are located and entered into the criminal history record repository.
Number of Missing Dispositions from Charges Two to Six Years Old
Analysis of results and challenges: Alaska Statute 12.62 requires the Alaska Court System and prosecuting agencies to report the disposition of a criminal case. The chart (above) demonstrates the percent of change between fiscal years on the number of instances of missing dispositions at the repository for charges that are two to six years old. Analysis has shown that charges less than two years old that have missing dispositions in the repository are generally active cases. Locating dispositions on charges that are greater than six years old can be very difficult, if not impossible. Attempts to locate these dispositions are made if there is a pressing need. It may take weeks or months to locate a disposition that is very old. Today, reporting of dispositions is completed using electronic mail, however, some paper documents are still submitted . The department has also assigned a full-time technician to locate and update missing disposition information, focusing primarily on felony arrest charges without a disposition noted in the criminal history repository. While this grant funded position has remained filled in FY2019 and FY2020, vacancies in other positions in the unit have resulted in a significant delay in processing arrest and disposition information. As positions are filled and staff are trained, it is anticipated the backlogs in processing dismissal reports and criminal complaint and disposition forms will be resolved, significantly decreasing the number of missing dispositions in the repository. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous delays in criminal proceedings. |
Current as of November 16, 2020